


The Missing Piece

by sugarpixi



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Rewrite, Clerith Week, Clerith Week 2020, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26351362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarpixi/pseuds/sugarpixi
Summary: Clerith Week 2020 Day 7- HollowSummary: Restless and fraught with worry for Aerith's safety—Cloud comes to grips with his feelings and makes a decision.May Contain Spoilers From Plate Drop to the Resolution scenes.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	The Missing Piece

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. Squenix does. 

The Missing Piece  
Clerith Week Day 2020 Day 7: Hollow

The threat at first seemingly a joke spoken through the lips of a clown became painfully clear upon finally arriving in Sector 7. Loud sharp sounds filled the air like fireworks. But this was no celebration. The rhythmic trill of the sound was too familiar and when a deep voice pierced the sky Cloud, Aerith and Tifa's sense of dread was realized. Not too long after, a small explosion erupted and Wedge fell from the sky. 

Cloud and Tifa called after him and the trio rushed to his side. Wedge was very lucky considering his circumstances. His body suffered minor injuries and while one leg was wounded he seemed otherwise alright. Cloud cut him off quickly as he rambled words of a dying man, ready to sacrifice himself. This was why he had to be in Sector 7. He still had a deal to settle with Avalanche. He felt a sense of duty to keep Sector 7 safe and also felt the need to contribute and reciprocate Avalanche, namely, Biggs, Jessie and Wedge's efforts. Then there was also Barret who, for all the sass he had given, he had slowly gained a respect for. 

Cloud left Wedge in the women's care as he ran straight into danger. As he ran up flights of stairs, he was confronted by many Shinra soldiers. This was the first time that it hit him how senseless the conflict felt yet how complicated it was all at once. As he tore down his enemies, he saw others, members of Avalanche and some even normal civilians fighting around him. Bodies of the fallen lay scattered about from both sides. It was a pitiful sight, but Cloud had a mission. He had to secure the plate and assist Barret. 

Upon climbing up a flight of stairs Cloud stopped in his tracks to assess the scene before him. Three disembodied wispy robes of black loomed over a figure that Cloud could pick out in a crowd. Panicked, he sprinted towards them, one of the shadows bolted towards him, stopping him in his tracks and taunted him, 'staring him down; before dispersing into thin air along with the the other shadows 

“Biggs!” Cloud called as he dashed towards the man crumpled on the ground. He felt breathless with worry, mouth agape as he tried to catch his breath, eyes narrowed as they observed the state of his injured comrade. He felt a small relief when he saw Biggs lift an arm, and chuckle in spite of the state of things. 

“You made it...though...I might not.”

Biggs' handsome face was contorted in pain. His face was darkened by soot and bruises. 

“Hey. Is Wedge...”

Cloud's worried look softened as he thought of what to say to at least keep Biggs' mind at ease. Even when he was the one in so much pain. His mind was still on someone else. Cloud couldn't help but admire that. His eyes got shiny, but he was not going to let any tears fall. 

“Don't worry, he'll bounce back.” 

“That's... good to hear. Could've used some extra padding myself.” 

One of the corners of Cloud's lips lifted for a second. Even at this time this man was still cracking jokes too. But he quickly grew concerned again when Biggs' attempt to laugh instead came out as a coughing fit. Cloud put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Don't talk,” he advised softly, soothingly. 

“It's... pretty bad up there.” 

Biggs continued to talk despite how difficult it was for him. With a groan he reached up and firmly gripped Cloud's hand. 

“Cloud. Promise me. Don't let it be for nothing.” 

“Mm...” Cloud started with a nod, “I won't” 

He put his other hand over Bigg's hand so that his friend's hand was sandwiched between them as if he was sealing the promise. 

Biggs chuckled taking Cloud aback once more. For someone in such pain, he really could talk and laugh. 

“You're a good man. Giving me that...that comfort.”

Upon finishing, Bigg's hand slid from between Cloud's, and his head fell to his chest. Cloud felt a tight squeeze in his chest lasting exactly a second before Biggs head lifted once more and addressed him. 

“Oh. One more thing. The Leaf House. It's an orphanage. In the... Sector 5 slums. The kids... they're great. I used to visit--”

He was interrupted by another coughing fit. Every word seemed so painful and not only physically. Coud turned his head away unable to handle the look of pain with every cough, and also as he thought about those kids. Biggs was right. They were great. And Biggs... Cloud didn't even have to imagine how good he would be with them. The way he treated Wedge alone was example enough. 

“That you'll have to do yourself.” Cloud said firmly, staring at him directly as he did so. 

Biggs bowed his head, dejected. 

“Let me guess... not a fan of kids.” 

“No.” Cloud answered, looking down at the floor himself. 

“But you have... so much in common.” Biggs answered looking up at him once again. Cloud remained looking at the floor until the end of his sentence, meeting Biggs' gaze right at the end and turning his head to pout. A moment after, Biggs reached up to place a hand on Cloud's head, patting it softly, causing a low gasp to escape Cloud. It felt like a long time ago since he felt like he had a big brother. Someone who looked after him and had a certain kindness to them. 

“Good luck, Cloud. Our future... is in your hands.” Biggs gave Cloud a thumbs up and a weak chuckle before finally going unconscious. There was something about his conversation with him that felt familiar. That seemed to intermingle with a sadness he couldn't place. They were trying to seep into the forefront of his mind. Cloud turned his head away from Biggs and shook it away, replacing the feelings with determination. “This isn't over.” He murmured, standing up and continuing his path up the plate. 

As he made his way around, he heard the buzz of something cutting through the air. Then a bright blue light shined onto his face causing him to look away quickly as he shielded his face with his hand. With the shade from his hand and arm, Cloud looked on to see a helicopter hovering across of him. A familiar annoying voice blasted at him through a megaphone as the light from the vehicle danced on and around him. As the man spoke, Cloud was able to identify the men, but he listened on while Reno lied about Shinra, pinning their master plan on Avalanche. Eventually, Cloud's eyes adjusted to the light but as they did, he noticed a gun raise on the side of the helicopter. He was sure at that moment he was not only spotted, but also recognized as well. 

“Gotcha now!” he heard Reno yell, and as the bullets zipped past him and the sparks from the metal on metal contact flared, Cloud ran up the steps, using the helicopter's light as a guide. 

“You ain't got nowhere to run!” Reno taunted, relentlessly shooting at him, and barely missing his feet. 

Cloud continued upward, bullets trailing after him. He dove and took cover on a landing behind stacks of metallic cylinders. He stood up, catching his breath, and as he attempted to peek, bullets shot at him so that he quickly took cover again. 

“Not good.” He said as another hail of bullets flew his way. Knocking down some of his cover. Cloud wondered what he could possible in the situation to save his skin. He wasn't ready to end it here. He looked around frantically, calculating what he could possibly do when another familiar voice blared through the air. 

“Throw down you weapon and surrender! Shinra does not negotiate with terrorists!” 

Cloud looked up and from where he was, even in hiding, he could see that there were now other helicopters that flew alongside Reno and Rude's. Like hell, he would surrender. It wasn't like they had a good track record with one another, either and Cloud would have laughed at the sense of pride he felt recalling how he wiped the floor with the two were he not at their mercy in a tight spot. Reno and Rude's aircraft started erratically firing again, this time knocking out half of Cloud's cover, exposing him. As they fell he peered down, over the railings his eyes widening in horror at the sight below. From where he was he there was no mistaking Aerith, patching up Wedge. The image of reality and one his mind in a state of anxiety was merging together. She was going to get hurt, maybe worse and he couldn't be there for her, yet he couldn't pull his eyes away. He gritted his teeth, and he braced for the impact his eyes shutting tightly. He heard a sound but it wasn't what he expected and when he did open his eyes once more he saw Tifa in her fighter's stance, while Aerith shielded Wedge. The falling of the materials was a big enough distraction so that Reno and Rude had stopped their assault, Cloud used it to his advantage hiding behind the other half of metal materials that remained. Behind, he tried to recover from the flood of emotions he experienced in the short time—the fear, the helplessness and also the gratefulness and relief. Thanks Tifa. 

Unfortunately for him, the distraction was not long enough for him to make anymore progress than he had already made and he remained stuck. He wasn't that foolhardy to believe he could reach up many more steps and continue avoiding the shells like he has been doing, and he wasn't sure if he could find another floor with anything to shield him from the Turks. They stopped firing and he wondered what was happening now. Still it was not enough to get him out of hiding. He could camp out all day. The question was, could Reno sit still? He was sure that when ever there was a moment of calm, it had to be because of Rude. And for that, right now, he was grateful to Rude as well. 

Suddenly, there were gun shots again. 

“Gotta move.” Cloud told himself, knowing his hiding place would not hold. There were a couple moments of reprieve. But Cloud stayed vigilant, using his sense of hearing. There was a rhythmic sound of clanking metal and Cloud turned his head to find the source, suddenly there was shooting and he knew he had to act. He jumped from his hiding place to sprint down and meet Tifa just in time as the stairs she was climbing up collapsed. Cloud peeked from the pillar that concealed them to assess the damage and quickly turned to face Tifa, his expression stern, worried, upset. 

“What the hell?” 

Tifa responded with a sheepish smile. 

“Nice catch!” 

“You're crazy!” Cloud admonished as if scolding a child. 

“Just like you. So suck it up, cause I'm not leaving.” 

Crazy? Sounds about right. Because now instead of just him standing around and hoping he could do something, anything, he had to worry about Tifa too. He inched close to peer from the pillar and saw that Reno and Rude were retreating. He turned to Tifa to give her an update but suddenly there was a loud sound, and the floor above them shook along with theirs from the impact of a blast. 

“What was that?” Tifa asked as Cloud walked up to stand by her and look up.

There was another blast and they shook again. Something big was happening on the floor above them. Cloud darted upward as he saw a helicopter fly up above them to the floor above, Tifa followed after him. As they climbed up there was another huge blast and the sound of falling debris. They stopped momentarily to recover themselves after the shock, and as soon as they did Tifa in a panic rushed ahead. 

Arriving at the scene Cloud stopped, observing the wispy black whispers once more which obstructed his view. It was only when he heard Tifa yell out Jessie's name that he was brought back to the situation at hand. Tifa ran past the cloaks of darkness and knelt right by Jessie's face. Cloud once reaching them immediately started pulling off what had fallen on Jessie. He was immediately reminded of the first bombing mission and he could immediately see the difference in severity. Back then, her legs getting caught was minute, and minor inconvenience... But right now, the churning of his stomach, a tightness in his chest and throat and his eyes once more watering returned. Jessie was in bad shape. He picked her up from where she lay in an effort to comfort her, walking away from Tifa to give her space as well.  
“So... you're the guy... who gets to hear my last words...Heh... lucky me.”

Cloud looked down, his eyes narrowing as he addressed her. 

“Like hell they're your last!” 

He hadn't known her long. Most of the time, she was playing around with him. She'd open up randomly, rambling on and he wondered why and to him at that. Still, Jessie was consistently lively, spunky, sure of her convictions. But the Jessie in his arms was crumpled, defeated and he couldn't stand the sight. 

“It's okay, Cloud... It's okay... They were my bombs. They were all... my victims.”

Cloud grimaced at her words. It hadn't occurred to him at all that she felt guilty for hat they had done. Again he was reminded of the toll their war against Shinra had. Not just between Avalanche and Shinra but all the lives in between. Just like Biggs, while injured she still was the one trying to cheer him up. Seriously... 

“I had it... coming.” 

Cloud remained silent, just letting her vent out her feelings. He found a place to prop her up against and set her down gently, supporting her, one arm on his back, the other on her shoulder. 

“My hero. So gentle...”

“Just try to hang on!” Cloud cut in quickly. This was not the time for her to be teasing him. She could be using her energy on other things. Jessie managed a giggle before continuing. 

“So dramatic...” She murmured. So Jessie, Cloud thought and he waited knowing that just like Biggs she was going to stubbornly defy any advice he had to give. 

“I... I just wish that... I could've had you over again... Everyone...With mom's cooking... I really wanted... to believe we could...”

“Yeah.” Cloud answered his tone mirroring Jessie's as well, Quickly he remembered that he didn't have any of the food at all. 

“You owe me pizza.” he reminded her. 

She managed to laugh again.

“That's right. I do. But... I don't think...” Her voice sparkled with joy through her pain, but quickly took a tone of sadness. She paused and everyone's both Jessie's and Cloud's attention turned on Tifa who sniffled quietly. 

“Oh no... Tifa's crying. Did I say something wrong?  
Cloud met Tifa's eyes quickly before she turned away and glancing at Jessie through the corners of his own eyes, he slowly removed the hand on Jessie's shoulder onto his knee, gritting his teeth. Jessie turned an reached up to hold the hand Cloud withdrew. 

“Don't you guys... have somewhere to be? It's not polite...to stare... you know...” Jessie finished weakly, her head turning away from Cloud and her hand sliding out of Cloud's as she lost consciousness. As her hand slipped away, the blond reached down quickly to catch and grab her wrist. He held onto it, grief crossing his face, attempting to process what just passed. She looked quite peaceful and yet he couldn't stop his feeling of sorrow. 

“Jessie...” Tifa whimpered, balling her hands into fists.

“Hey...” Cloud called out softly to the brunette. It didn't seem that she heard him, choosing instead to cry into her own hands. 

Cloud gently pulled his hands up and away from Jessie's body to look at his own hands. He wasn't sure what he could possibly do to console her. He allowed Tifa to grieve a little before standing up and encouraging her to move forward. She got up nodding sadly and they made their way the remaining staircases. 

By the time they got to the top, the stairs started collapsing, most likely due to wear and tear from all of the shooting they took. Cloud made it right up the stairs, Tifa following behind him, just barely escaping the collapse, taking his hand and retreating at his back to look at what remained of the stairs. There was a series of angry and impassioned yelling followed by gunshots, a short exchange between Tifa and Barret shortly cut by some bullets from the sky. Cloud's attention was brought from carefully assessing the area to Tifa's safety seeing that it barely missed her.

He rushed ahead of her right to Barret's side at his warning. He distracted the helicopter from Tifa as he did so. 

“Still alive and kicking?”he asked peaking from their cover to gauge the situation. 

“Damn right! Leadin' man sticks around till the credits roll!”Barret responded, quickly preparing himself to fire a couple more shots at the helicopter. While Barret fired, Cloud glanced over at Tifa and held his hand out to her to signal that it was ok for her to join them. 

“Though we gotta keep moving if we wanna make it that far. You ready?” 

Barret glanced past Tifa and right at him. His eyes were steady on him, showing in that moment he was putting his trust and life in his hands. Cloud responded in kind. “Yup.” he said simply and glanced up as bullets hailed from the sky. The three of them jumped out of the way as a small explosion occurred. 

Cloud watched as the flames subsided. As soon as they did a helicopter came into view. A certain red haired man stood proudly at the entrance. 

“You!” 

“It's nothing personal... bitch!” the man taunted before hopping straight down to attack him. 

Oh it was very personal. So much so that in the struggle, Reno seemed to be doing nothing but playing with him. The surprise was that Rude was the one that pushed the button in the end. Dammit, and Cloud thought so much more highly of that man. Though the trio wont the battle—they knew in their hearts that they lost Sector 7. Tseng appearing on screen to answer the question Tifa asked for everyone out loud was the salt to rub on all of their wounds.

Then, that's when her face came into view. It felt like such a long time since he'd seen here even though it hadn't been that long ago. It was his hope she had gotten away, somewhere safe. But seeing her in the screen, with that man made his skin crawl. This wasn't supposed to happen--

“Where are you!?” Cloud cried unable to contain himself. The suit alone was enough to make him see red. But like in any dark scene Aerith stood out and everything else around became a blur. 

“I'm at the--” 

Aerith started but was cut off by a simple wave from Tseng, silently commanding a soldier to drag her away. Once she was removed from sight, he continued to speak. Cloud could only watch, jaws clenched. 

“Your activities unwittingly brought you into contact with the Ancient, who is now back in our custody where she belongs. For this you have my gratitude. Alas, the sector on which you stand has been condemned.” 

Tseng finished his speech, putting a finger to his lips, as if he just told a secret. 

“Ancient?” Cloud's eyebrows crinkled, his eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth. The new information took hold of him. And if it wasn't for Aerith's voice off screen warning for them to run, he would have completely forgotten what was happening. The fear in her voice tugged at his heart, only escalating his concern for her. Tseng smugly and mockingly responded to Aerith, while taunting the trio, tilting his head back to express how he reveled in the moment before signing signing off causing the screen to turn red and trigger the warning alarm. Cloud could only shout Aerith's name—the sound just coming out a moment too late, while he cursed internally and pieces of the foundation started to fall as the tower rumbled, projecting its imminent collapse. 

By the console, Cloud looked all around. He at least needed to know how all of this was going down. There must be some process... He was told to run and get out, and he wanted to believe he could make it, even though it looked impossible. Cloud's thoughts were interrupted by Tifa's hopeless and pleading voice. Just then, he heard something catch on fire and as he looked up there were two sheets of metal ready to crush him which luckily fell far enough away from him. As they landed he looked around for Tifa and was relieved to find her unscathed. He ran towards her with worry, but he didn't know what to do or say at that moment. She looked truly devastated. 

“Hey! Over here! Found us a way out!” Barret's voice rang. A sense of hope and gratefulness filled him.

“Tifa!” he called to to the raven haired woman. She remained in a dazed state unmoving causing him to pick her up and pull her along as he ran, barely being struck by more pieces of the tower falling from the sky. 

“C'mon! C'mon!” Barret urged, preparing the way for them. He held onto the hook and Cloud concerned for Tifa's safety pushed her to go first before jumping in the huddle as well. As they zipped through the air, Cloud felt nostalgic with unhappiness, dread, and pity as Sector 7 fell apart all around them, engulfed in red and orange flames. 

They landed right outside the sector. Cloud and Tifa navigated the rubble as Barret ran ahead. When they finally reached Barret he was finally venting all the feelings he held in the vain attempts to stop the plate fall. As he punched at the wreckage he cried the name of his daughter 'Marlene' over and over. Cloud's chest twisted up into knots. He knew the feeling well—because right now because through all that happened there was one face that kept flashing in his mind, one name he kept on hearing. 

Tifa approached Barret and Cloud could only watch the exchange, feeling it as not his place to get involved. He watched as they exchanged their feelings, Barret letting go of his doubts in order to console the barmaid. How easy it looked for Barret to read Tifa's mind and react accordingly. The way he gave her advice, taking her hand into his gingerly and then finally pulling her into comforting embrace. Cloud felt like he was intruding. After a while, Barret stared right at him as if to say it was alright to approach. Taking his signal, Cloud did and attempted to comfort Barret. 

“Barret. Marlene is fine. Aerith found her.” 

With what just took place and emotions running high he was sure it was hard for anyone to think or make sense of anything. But he knew that right now what would most put Barret's mind at ease is the safety of his most important person whom was taken to safety which seemed to be a detail everyone forgot. 

“Aerith, is that the girl they took?” 

Barret asked, as if he was searching through his memories. 

“Yeah that's her.” Tifa answered turning to Cloud, sharing a look. She knew that Cloud had left the flower girl in her care while he patched up Wedge, and she felt guilty for leaving her side. The mercenary could not blame her at that time. Aerith really knew her way around. 

“The hell's going on!?” Barret demanded. Suddenly, it seemed he was thinking a lot better than before. He didn't even know who the woman was. No matter how innocent she looked she was a stranger. 

“I asked Aerith to take Marlene and take her somewhere safe.” 

Tifa admitted. Barret looked from her and then back at Cloud before deciding to confront Cloud.

“And she did? You sure!?” 

Cloud grunted and turned the other way, briskly walking away. That question frustrated him. He confirmed it in the beginning of the conversation. Tifa cosigned. It's possible that in Barret feels that Tifa was covering for him and he understood why Barret was wary. But for Aerith who was now in a position of danger in place of his daughter who was in safety, he felt personally offended for.  
Cloud pushed past crowds of people. He let Tifa and Barret do the schmoozing—making sure they were all right. He was still feeling heated—unable to spare a kind word. He didn't feel like explaining anything to Barret at all. A safe place... If there was a place that looked it and felt like it, it had to be Aerith's house. And that's where Cloud led Tifa and Barret. The entire way, Cloud didn't say another word. Even as the two vocalized in awe when regarding the house, field of flowers and waterfall that appeared so out of place. When they entered, Barret in a mixture of excitement and panic roared like a bear. Elmyra was quick to shut him down, sternly letting him know that his daughter was fast asleep. When Barret expelled the biggest sigh of relief it was like the entire room felt it. But the conversation swiftly went back into heavy and dark territory when Aerith was mentioned. 

Cloud upon mentioning Aerith and bringing up the fact she was an Ancient seemed to have caught Elmyra red-handed when she lifted her head to look right at him, her eyes guilt-ridden, hands wringing. Cloud understood that being an Ancient meant that Aerith was something special—but he wanted to know in detail and hoped Elmyra could fill them in some more. The woman ended up telling them stories of Aerith, revealing that they were not blood related, insight on some of her gifts but at the end urged them not to act rashly in fear for endangering the young woman's life. Cloud who had first hand experience within Shinra, and confrontations with the Turks spoke up quickly of not trusting in Shinra, that Shinra was dangerous in spite of the stories the woman told of how Shinra appeared to treat her kindly. Barret and Tifa did not show much support for Cloud, instead agreeing to Elmyra's request.  
Barret in an effort to break the tension mentioned that he had things to do in Sector 7, he wanted to 'check on the bar.' Tifa seemed to agree with him and Cloud, silently fuming agreed to as well. It was better than sitting at that house like a lump on a log, after all. 

Arriving at Sector 7, the trio observed the aftermath of the horrors of the previous night. The air was still dusty, there were piles of remains—buildings, things, people... There appeared to be no signs of life. Suddenly there was a screaming that alerted them. There was a group of citizens attempting to help someone trapped beneath rubble. The trip helped, allowing the poor woman to cry into Tifa's arms. After the save, Marle and Tifa were able to catch up. The rescue seemed to inspire more hope for Barret to continue to scour the remainder of Sector 7 for survivors. Cloud watched as Tifa's stomach dropped at the sight of her ruined bar. They were not able to mourn any longer when a crate almost fell on Tifa and Barret attempted to break into it. They were all distracted by the sound of a cat meowing at them. Though Wedge's place was completely destroyed the cat's survival was enough for them to have hope. 

The cat lead them into a very suspicious hole. It was ironic but somehow not a surprise that there was a Shinra facility right beneath Sector 7. This was far from what Cloud wanted, and even further from what he needed. After jumping down into the hole, it quickly became clear to Cloud how forgotten the place was when the foundation below them as the trio walked on it collapsed. The three became separated and Cloud's feelings were torn between the relief of having time for him self to think and process on his own and not feed off of the energy of others or his concern for his fellow comrades and the sense of urgency to rescue Aerith building up the longer he wandered in that underground lab. There was a strange atmosphere that permeated throughout the lab. Cloud was careful and also perused on his own volition, feeling sick to his stomach at every test tube that littered the place, but being unable to look away. His head ached, at the sight triggering in him sleeping memories as he looked at what were humans and other creatures floating in vats of liquid. 

Aerith was an Ancient. That made her valuable... He didn't want to think of pieces of her floating around. He imagined she'd be valuable alive. But Shinra with the type of evil they were capabe of would probably also try to find some value in her death... He shook those thoughts from his mind, he find her unharmed, she will come back safely. She will not be reduced to floating parts... He shivered at the thought, and moved on. He could hear the loud sounds of metal on metal. He smirked to himself. Thanks Barret. Whether Avalanche's leader was doing it on purpose or not, it would make things easier for Cloud in the long run. He had seen enough. All he wanted to do was find Tifa and Barret then get the hell out of there and proceed with his goal in rescuing Aerith. The lab reminded him of the underground ways they took to their last bombing mission as well as that reactor. It seemed, abandoned, forgotten. Shinra always had its reasons for halting any of their activities. Soon, he had to wonder no longer. It so happened that in meeting up with Tifa and Barret, he would also meet the the reason the place operations here stopped... 

After the ordeal, they were able to take Wedge and his cat back with them, as well as relay the unfortunate news regarding Biggs and Jessie to Barret. With Wedge slung over his shoulder, Cloud saw him swallow and struggle to react. He insisted that they move forward and keep going on in their path and they headed back to Aerith's. After tucking Wedge into bed and tending to Wedge, Elmyra came down the stairs and shared an exchange with Barret. Seeing how soft she was, Cloud decided to try again to persuade Elmyra to rescue her daughter. Again, she was quick to dismiss Cloud, impatience and fear in her voice. She walked round the table away from him as he spoke, this time with conviction about the the terrors of Shinra, thinking of what he saw on his 'tour' of the lab, his voice picking up speed, increasing in passion. 

“Enough!” Elmyra cried, a pleading tone in her voice. 

“But--”Cloud attempted to challenge, but with a gentle touch from Tifa and a soft scolding look, Cloud stopped and instead sighed in defeat. In that time, Elmyra sat back down on the chair and propping her hands on the table and clasping her hands she said, 

“Please I need some time to think.” She bowed her head and looked at her hands before glancing up at the trio. The tone in her voice changed, as she told them to go upstairs and rest. Barret nodded and thanked Elmyra again before announcing that he wanted fresh air and stepping out. Tifa seemed to happily oblige Elmyra's suggestion, taking a glance downstairs at Cloud after reaching the first landing continuing to the room. Cloud feeling awkward being left with Elmyra and curious about Barret he decided to 'get some fresh air' too. 

When he stepped outside it was not hard to see that Barret was on the cliff, in the field of flowers that overlooked Aerith's house. Even though Cloud followed after him he realized he didn't really know how the interaction was going to be like. He stopped just about a couple feet away, and pretending like he was there to look over the edge on another portion of the huge ledge, he crossed his arms making a noise and alerting Barret's attention to him. 

“You should rest up while you can.” Barret muttered not even turning around. 

“Likewise.” Cloud said, tilting his head to acknowledge Barret, a smile playing on his lips. This was the first time Barret was considerate in a normal way to him. It was actually pretty endearing. 

“Nah I'm good—I'm good.” He said reassuringly, the loud gruffness in his voice taking over once more, but then he softened again, “'Sides, when I close my eyes, I start thinking 'bout things.”

Cloud remained silent. He felt like—knew there was going to be more. 

Barret went to talk on about Avalanche, each with their own personality and skill. As he talked he spun around to reveal his face,sparkling with pride. This was the Barret that Barret attempted to keep under wraps. The Barret in the toughest moments, he allowed to shine subtly under a rough exterior, a vulnerable side he was able to balance no matter the situation. This was the Barret Cloud had come to admire. 

“They're strong. They're tough. Like me.” Cloud made a noise as if to agree with him, noticing that he was now side by side with the leader of Avalanche. He continued on walking past him. 

“After we save Aerith, I'll introduce you to them.”

Again, Cloud found a smile attempting to creep onto his face. Sounded like Barret had finally warmed up to him. It finally felt like he was more than just a mercenary working for Avalanche. But most importantly, he was supporting what he ultimately wanted. 

“Sounds good to me.” Cloud replied, shifting a little to acknowledge Barret's words. 

“Never thought I'd feel better after talking with your hard-boiled ass.” Barret admitted, sheepishly rubbing his head. This caused Cloud to turn even more towards Barret with a slight chuckle. He was one to talk. 

“Think you can sleep now?” Cloud asked. 

“Oh yeah, like a baby.” Barret responded, raising his hand as if to emphasize his point as he walked away. Cloud followed after him back to Aerith's house. 

Sleep continued to elude Cloud even after the nice chat with Barret. The man was not lying. Cloud could have sworn he was cutting logs in his sleep. Maybe, if he tried to think about it some other way, he could somehow use it to make him sleep instead of keep him up? His ears perked up when he heard a ligh shuffle, a door creak open and then close. He waited a while before making a move. Finally, he got up and quietly followed after making sure to bring his weapon along with him in case. 

He found her on the same flowery ledge Barret stood hours before. He approached her and like with Barret stopped with some space between them. 

“Can't sleep?” 

“No. You too?” 

“I heard footsteps.” 

“Sorry, didn't mean to wake you.” 

“I'm a light sleeper. It's a SOLDIER thing.” Cloud turned as he said this. Tifa chuckled lightly and he thought he much preferred that sound then the sound of her crying. She turned to the side so she could look at him, but not directly while she addressed him seriously. 

“That flower you gave me the other night. That was from Aerith, wasn't it?”

Cloud was unable to answer but also unable to stop the sound that came from deep in the back of his throat. Tifa chuckled. 

“I knew something weird was going on. You, buying flowers.” 

Cloud looked down right at the yellow flowers just like the one he was given that day. 

“They symbolize reunion, believe it or not. I was curious, so I looked it up. I tried to keep it alive as long as I could. But now... it's dead and buried... Like the bar... our home... and everything else.”

She tried laughing again, a weak attempt at holding it together. Her shaking fists, and her face betrayed her. As the tears sprang from her eyes, she walked over to him, burying her face into his chest.  
Cloud gasped, and his eyes widened. 

“They took everything from us. Again.” 

When she said that Cloud's mind wandered for a moment back to the dusty old town, revisiting a dull ache that came with it. It was sad. But...just like Nibelheim he was not very attached to the town itself. And just like then, he was more enraged because of certain people... As she wept openly and continuously Cloud's mind started to recount more recent memories and events leading up to this very moment in an effort to share even an ounce of her pain and empathize with her. That's right at this moment she what she needed was comfort. He recalled the moment they safely were delivered from death in which Barret was able to calm Tifa. Clumsily, he raised his arms and wrapped them around her pulling her further into his chest. As he held her close, he started to feel her grief as well, and he wondered as he felt his emotions boiling over if Tifa felt the same, as images of a certain flower lady flashed through his mind filling him to the brim filling him with a cocktail of emotions from sadness, longing anger and the intense need to rescue her. He closed his eyes and consumed by his thoughts he forgot what was happening. 

“Cloud... Cloud, you're hurting me,” Tifa's voice brought him back to the moment. He slowly released her and backed away. 

“It's stupid. I know that crying's a waste of time.” 

Cloud thought quickly of what to say. “That's not true.” 

“Thank you.” Tifa replied, her voice breaking. 

“Let's head back,” Cloud suggested after a while. 

“Give me a while longer.” Tifa insisted. 

“I'd prefer you sleep before, so I don't have to wake up again,” Cloud joked with her. 

“Alright, then if it makes you feel better. You go first and I'll follow,” Tifa suggested. 

On the way back Cloud made sure to walk at an even pace so that Tifa didn't lag completely behind but also so that Tifa had more time outside.

When they finally reached the house, Cloud took his position to sleep once more. He thought about the people he had encountered. His first impressions then, what they were now. How he was then versus how he is now... He could barely recognize himself since the start of everything. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With all he had experienced he realized something. He had found something important... something that made life feel like it was worth it. And it was... he bit lower lip, hard. It was ripped from him. He glared into the darkness as a pale, pompous face entered his mind. He hadn't worried like this before. Not even that time, when watching her walking away caused an episode of splitting head aches, flashing green lights, hard-hitting visions that filled him with emotions in a way he felt would be comparable to being struck by lightning—an instantaneous moment that felt like a lifetime. A moment that he felt indescribable grief, hopelessness, rage. It was a feeling that was both a dull and sharp at once. And yet he was able to convey it all with a single tear drop right before the the visions ended and he was left feeling nothing before following her voice back to reality. 

Cloud closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he found himself on that flowery ledge. When he turned his eyes widened, surprised to see a brunette wearing red and pink kneeling and tending to flowers. She turned to look eyes with him, seemingly just as surprised. 

“How is this...?” Cloud trailed off, stopping himself to look up at the sky. In the darkness there were green lights. 

“Is this a dream?” he asked turning away from her. He wondered if he looked back if she'd just disappear. He wondered if he'd be ready for her answer. 

“Maybe. You tell me.” the woman responded standing up, staring at the sky as well before returning Cloud's gaze. Mysterious as ever. He thought. Well, he had no real answers for that... None that he wanted to say out loud. 

“You okay?” he said instead, asking the biggest burning question in his mind. 

She raised both her arms as if to let him have a better look at her. 

“Don't I look it?” Mysterious and cheeky as ever, Cloud thought watching her as she continued on to reveal that she indeed lived in Shinra before. Cloud nodded confirming that Elmyra had revealed that information. She then mentioned it was like returning home. Cloud felt his stomach flip at her words. Knowing her, she was probably just trying to make him feel better... Still the idea of Shinra and kids being involved left a really bad taste in his mouth. Was it really not bad? 

“So what, you wanna stay?” Cloud wondered , sounding more defensive than he had intended. 

“C'mon, Cloud. Don't be silly.” Aerith reasoned softly, soothingly and a little sadly. 

Cloud pondered what to say next—to lift the dejected expression from her face, to remind her where she needed to be. 

“Your mom's worried about you too.” 

She looked down. Still sad. Probably thinking about how Elmyra could be feeling. Then with here eyes widening she lifted her head to look at Cloud. 

“'Too'? So you're worried about me?” 

She looked at him with awe, her eyes sparkling. Cloud tilted his head. He wasn't expecting her to focus on that. 

“O-Ofcourse I am.” he stammered awkwardly, but in the end holding her gaze steadily. 

Aerith let out a breathy chuckle. 

“I'm sorry about that. Really.” She said turning around and taking a couple steps forward, raising her head to look at that sky. Cloud could only inhale sharply, lost for for words. 

“Is that...?” Cloud started as Aerith took a couple more steps forward, as if walking forward towards the green lights. She stopped right by the street light and clasped her hands. 

“Everyone dies eventually.”

“I suppose.” 

“So we need to make the most of the time we have—to live our lives the way we wanna live. Every minute, every moment matters.”

“I'll remember that.” Cloud answered rather quickly. 

Aerith turned to face him, a satisfied smile on her lips, “Good.” 

He watched as her face dropped almost immediately after that. How it seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to say it. 

“So...” she looked down again and sighed, frustrated. 

“You need to embrace this moment. Right?” Cloud offered, and he noticed how his words lifted her spirits immediately as she nodded to concur.

“I'm glad I met you, Cloud. I'm grateful for all the words we've shared. For all the moments and the memories. You've made me more happy than you know. And I'll always cherish what you've given me. But... But whatever happens, you can't fall in love with me.” 

Cloud turned from her, letting out a disgruntled huff. He felt something soft and warm on his cheek and he turned to look right in her eyes. He closed his eyes briefly, leaning into her palm.

“Even if you think you have... it's not real.” 

As she dropped her hand he reached to grasp it, but his hand went right through it fading away into green light and sparkles that continued to swirl around her as she turned and walked away. Cloud, confounded tried to make sense of what just happened and all the words she just told him. 

“Don't I get a say in all this?” he lamented.

There was a lot to take in. A lot to respond to. She put her her cards down on the table. It hardly seemed fair to him that after all that she said she finished it by telling him how to feel. 

“It's almost morning. Time to go.” Aerith said, back turned to him. It seemed like she wanted to change the subject but Cloud was not quite done yet. Morning could come all it wanted, but he would be heard. 

“I'm coming for you.” 

He said the words resolutely, unwavering. She turned to face him, a slight look of surprise on her face, before her eyes narrowed tenderly. 

“If that's what you want. Thank you.” 

Then everything was engulfed in a white light and... Cloud opened his eyes and recognized that he was in Aerith's house. He touched his cheek where she had the previous night. Did he cry? He wondered... trying to make sense of what he felt that night when she touched him, though he was unable to touch her. Seeing her again made him see some things clearly. His life which felt like him just simply going through the motions turned upside down when meeting her, his life felt full. Knowing she was alive and ok for now was enough to soothe the continued to build in him from the impatience and worry he experienced. This was a temporary separation. Losing her was not an option. If he lost her for good... He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. There was something about Aerith that made him believe in the present and hope for the future. He got up quickly. This time for sure. Third time's the charm right?

~Fin  
A/n: So this is such a loaded fic just to wrap around the idea of 'hollow'. I think that the word also relates a lot to Cloud in the OG as well as R. But R makes it even more so that Aerith is more of a direct source no matter what way we want to see and how the word hollow relates. I ended up writing about his other character interactions partly to show that what appeared and as intense urgency and tunnel vision in saving Aerith from when he she was taken up to the point they decide to save her that it did not negate Cloud's feelings or the importance of other people in his life but that there is also a difference in how he is influenced with each relationship and what they mean to him. I like to think that the plate drop is the point in which Cloud's character development from the beginning to that point being influenced by Aerith and those around him really shine, when he really comes to show himself not to just the characters in game but to the players who are experiencing his journey with him. I also wanted to show the resolutions and give a different pov through writing and expressing my own thoughts and feelings as I watched them over and over. I hope that I expressed well where the characters were in relation to Cloud not only in their dialogue but especially in their placement in those pivotal scenes ie. Barret being the one greeting and opening up to Cloud who was softer to him in the moment and being the one to eventually close the distance and the impression given with how they talked to each other mostly with their backs to each other versus Cloud who approached Tifa who he had more familiarity with, thus being more comfortable and asking mundane things but being unsure of how to comfort her. I know this is a long note but I hope it cleared some things if there is any confusion or questions regarding my train of thought while I wrote this thing. There were parts I had a lot of fun with too, extra insight to how I see other character relationship and interactions as well like the Turks. This was quite the project and I am happy that it finally has been released. Thank you all for reading.


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